Saturday, August 29, 2009

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna.

Every time I have lasagna I am reminded of this story from Gary's childhood:

As part of learning about out cultures each student was supposed to bring in an ethnic food. Gary helped his mom make vegetable lasagna. His motive? No one would eat it because it was full of vegetables. BUT he was wrong. I tell him that's what you get for being selfish. :)

I brought out my "fall" stuff since it's been cold and rainy the last couple days. I found a Martha Stewart magazine I had kept because of some decorating ideas. I flipped through the recipes and found one that used zucchini AND eggplant. It was a hearty recipe - comfort food - perfect for this cold and rainy day!

As you all know by now, I have an abundance of zucchini, but have not given up on using it yet! And, I have one eggplant plant. The eggplant was just for fun annd because they are pretty. Turns out you have to eat them too! It tasted good on my garden fresh pizza.

Place zucchini in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender and just starting to brown (about 10 minutes). Let cool slightly, then transfer to a dish.

Place onion rings in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender and browned (about 12 minutes). Let cool slightly, then chop into smaller pieces. Set aside.

Press eggplant slices between paper towels to remove liquid. Place eggplant in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with oil, season with pepper. Bake until tender and golden (about 7 minutes).

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Combine onions, cottage cheese, and swiss cheese.

Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place a layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce. Layer eggplant on top of the noodles. Spread half of the cheese mixture over eggplant. Spread about a cup of marina over the cheese layer. Repeat layering once, replacing eggplant with zucchini (noodles, zucchini, cheese, sauce). Place a layer of noodles on top. Spread remaining sauce on top of noodles. Spinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

The time it took to put this together was totally worth it! And, keep in mind, you can make this in steps. I roasted the veggies this morning. Put the lasagna together mid-afternoon and baked it just in time for supper. Along with some bread. All of it = SO GOOD.